Automatic train-controlling system.



I 7 Lawn. AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROLLING SY STEM.

APPUCA'HON FILED DECJQLIQIA.

' Patented Nov. 19, 1918,

2 SHiETS-SHEEI l.

E. R. HILL. AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROLLING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 19, 1914.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- bythe ramp, therefore has ,AUTOMATIG, TRAIN+CONTROLLING SYSTEM.

To all whom it may concern:

"Be it known that I, ERNEST ROWLAND HILL, a citizen of the United States residing at East Orange, inthe county of Essex and'State of-New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Train-Controlling Systems, of which the following'is' a full, clear, and exactdescription. a l j The invention which forms the subject of the present a plicati'on relatesuto so-called automatic train-control and cab-signaling? systems, in which the travel of atrain or ve-v hicle is controlled or a signal displayedin the cab, or both, through the agency of a device arranged alongside the track and cooperating with mechanism carried by the train. In a well-known system'of this kind the track device has a ramp or incline in the path of an upwardly movable 'devicecarried by the train, sothat when the last-named device strikes the ramp it will be cammed upwardly. This upwardly movable device is connected with the airrbrake system or other appropriate mechanism, so that the actuation of the device by the ramp can stop the train or cause its speed to be reduced to a safelimit, and if desired actuate afsignal in the cab. In theparticular system referred to, electric circuit is usually provided} on the train, and is so associated with the aforesaid device and the mechanism or apparatus actuated or controlled by it that if, at the same time that the device is moved upwardly by the ramp, current flows fromvthe ramp through saidcircuit the upward movement of the device will have no efi'ectuonthe movement of the train, Accordingly the ramp is normally energized, so thaticurrentl can flow from it to the circuit mentioned, and is under the control of the signaling system used on the'railwayv so as. to be: deenergized-when conditions ahead (as for ex,- ample the presence of a trainin the next block) require that the approaching train be stopped or have its speedreduced. In such case no current flows from the deenergized ramp, and the train device, actuated the. movement of the 7 train, through the gen y f e a r-brak sor other me hanism refer d q- 0r. heapp ra may b a-rrang d, not to; cont ol the ra el of t tra n, butmerely to cause asignal to be displayed in the cab. In this case the fiow of current specification of Letters Patent.

its full efiect on Patented Now-19, 1918.

Application filed December 19, 1914. Serial N 0. 878,005.

between the track device and thetrain device will causethe signal toshow clear, and, the actuation of thetrain devicewithout such flow of current will cause thesignal to show danger.

Another method of preventing any effect being produced by the ramp upon the movement of the train, except when required. by conditions ahead, is to havevthe ramp normally out ofthe pathof the train device but have it moved into the path of the device by the signal system whenever track conditions require. l I t In a system such as the oneathus briefly outlined it is clear that the train device should be actuated only by the ramp It is possible, however, for an obstruction along the track to actuate the train device, and thereby occasion. much inconvenience and delay if not actual damage '5. and Ihave therefore been, ledf todevise my present invention, which has for its chief-object to pro-- vide simpl'e and effective means by which the pathof-the train. device,- in advance of the latter, will hev kept, clear, of obstructions, without interfering withthe function ofthe ramp. A, further ohjectis to provide for the abovepurpose means )Whi'ch will also serve to, guide, the ramp into the path of the train device, or to, guide the train device into the plane of'the ramp, thereby insuring actuation ofthelatterin spite of considerable lateral, oscillation or motionof the vehicle, or inaccurate placement of either device, andmaking it possible to use a train, device and, aramp which are both comparatively narrow. To these and other, ends the invention consists in the novel features of construction and combinations of elements hereinafter described.

A convenient and effective embodiment of the-invention asv applied to the system re ferred to alcovev is illustrated in the accompanying drawing,in which;

Figure 1 is] an end view and Fig. 2 is a sideview, of a convenient and effective form ofjthe invention. a

Fig, 3 is'a plan View showinga track-device of theztypeillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, butucomhined with a signaling systemwhereby the device isnormallyenergized and outnof the pathof-the train deviceor, theguards" thereof, but is movedinto such track conditions ahead.

Fig. i is a side view, on a smaller scale, of the preferred form of the track device, having an incline at each end.

In the construction illustrated the track device or ramp 10 is in the form of an elongated plate arranged in a vertical plane in substantial parallelism with the track (indicated by the rail 11) and its upper edge inclined at each end. The train device is a vertically movable plunger 12, the lower end of which. is normally below the top of the ramp, so that when the plunger strikes either incline (according to the direction of travel) the plunger will be cammed upwardly and will produce the desired eli ect on the movement of the train. The means by which the action of the plunger produces venient part of the vehicle or a member can ried thereby) by means or": binding bolts 15.. A considerable rangeot vertical adjustment is thus afi'orded. A face-plate 16 may be interposed between the member 1 1 and the yoke 13, and the cooperating faces of the face-plate and yoke can be roughened or grooved to eliminate any possibility of slip ping after the desired adjustment'has been made and the binding bolts tightened up.

For the purpose of keeping the horizontal path of the plunger 12 clear or obstructions, so that the plunger can be actuated only by the ramp, a guard '17 is provided in front of the plunger, formed with a downwardly open slot 18 to receive the ramp as indicated in Fig. l, and extending below the plunger far enough to atiord adequate protection to the same; it being understood that the plunger lies immediately in the rear of the slot.

To make the guard as efiective as possible, the slot 18 therein is but little wider than the thickness of the ramp, a condition which would necessitate considerable accuracy in placing the ramp with respect to the plane of the plunger, and yice versa, and would allow of but little lateral motion or oscillation of the vehicle. To avoid this diihculty, the slot is made flaring (preferably at rather an acute angle) toward the front, as shown, thus providing two horns diverging toward the front, and the ramp is so mounted as to be capable of considerable lateral movement. Then if the ramp is anywhere inside re space spanned by the front ends of the horns it will, when the guard meets it, be guided reserve into the plane of the plunger and will actuate the latter as desired. It ispossible for small stones to become wedged in the slot, but being carried against the ramp with considerable velocity and being of small size they are shattered by the impact or are car ried clear through the slot into the open space between the guard and the plunger. Preferably the slot flares upwardly as well as forwardly sot-hat a stone lodged between the horns would readily be loosened and ejected by theupward camming action oi the ramp.

The guard 17 can be mounted in position in any convenient manner, as by bolting it to the underside of a shelf or bracket 19 at the bottom or the yoke 13.

The ramp 10 can be mounted in any suitable way to provide the desired lateral movement. For instance, in the arrangement illustrated it is fixed on two transverse rods or supports 20 passing through the upright sides of two carriers 21 and adapted to slide therein. On one side or the ramp each rod is encircled by a sleeve 22, in which the rod can slide, and between the heads 23 and the side of the carriers coil springs 24 are provided, serving to hold the ramp at about the center of the carriers, while the carriers themselves are so arranged (for example mounted on' the ends of the ties 25) as to give the ramp a position in or near the vertical plane in which the plunger 12 normally moves as it is carried forward by the vehicle. It the ramp is intended to carry current, insulators 26, can be interposed between the carriers 21 and the ties 25.

That the ramp may be energized under the control of the signaling system is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 3, but it is to be understood that the precise method used for the purpose is immaterial. Inthe arrangement illustrated. one terminal of a suitable source of current27 is connected to the ramp and the other to ground through a circuit-breaker operated by the signaling apparatus 29. As long as the track ahead is clear the solenoid 30. holds the circuit,-

breaker in closed position and the ramp is energized or alive, but if the signal goes to danger or the signaling system is disabled the solenoid is deenergized, permitting the spring 81 to operate the circuit breaker. The ramp is then dead.

As statedabove, the ramp can be normally out'of the path of the plunger, and can be moved into such path by or under the control of the signaling system when danger conditions exist ahead of the train. For example, the carriers 21 can be mounted on or connected to a pair of bell-cranks 32, 111: crumed on a base-plate 33 on the ties 25 and actuated by a rod 3% connected in any con-' venient manner with the signaling system, as by means of an air cylinder 35. /Vhen then retracts the rod diagrammatic,

the signal goes to danger or the apparatus is disabled, the compressed air escapes from behind the piston 36 ,(through a suitabl controlled port not shown). The spring 3 34, thus rocking the bell-cranks clockwise and carrying the ramp 10 into the path of the train-devlce or into the space traversed by the horns of the guard.

It is to be understood that Fig. 3 is largely its purpose being merely to indicate, in a general way, the relation of the track-device to the signaling system or other apparatus for the purpose. The skilled engineer or designer who undertakes to apply the invention in practice can readily supply all the necessary details and may even devise a method ofcontrol which would be better under the particular cir-.

cumstances than that indicated.

By providing an incline at each end of the ramp or track-device 10, the controlling system will be operative for trains traveling in both directions withoutemploying two track-devices. If the same vehicle is to travel in both directions on the same track without being turned end-for-end the guard 17 can be removed and placed in rear of the plunger 12 before the vehicle starts back,

but a more convenient plan is to provide a 3 rear guard 17, similar to the'first but flaring in the opposite direction.

It'is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the apparatus herein specifically illustrated and described, but be embodied. in other forms without departure from its spirit.

I claim In an automatic train-controlling system, in combination, a movable controlllng member adapted to be carried by a vehicle, a laterally movable track-device to actuate the controlling member, and a guard adapted to be carried by the vehicle in advance of the controlling member, having a downwardly and forwardly open slot flaring upwardly and toward the front to receive the laterally movable track-device and maintain the same in the path of the controlling member during the passage of the latter.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST ROWLAND HILL.

Witnesses:

S. A. SPALDING, EDMUND J. BELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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